Photographic washing-tank.



W. A. AMON. PHOTOGRAPHIG WASHING TANK.

APPLIOATION FILED JAN. 11, 1909. 926,380. Patented June 29, 1909.

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Patented June 29, 1909.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 29, 1909.

Application filed January 11, 1909. Serial No. 471,681.

To aZZ who1ri it may concern:

l 3e it known that I, WILBERT A. AMoN, 'c1t1zen of the United States, residing at Washmgton, in the county of Washington and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Photographic WashingrTanks, of which the following is a specification.-

My invention relates to hotographic apparatus and refers particularly to washing devices ap licable totheprocess of preparing photogra ic prints or negatives.

The c ief objects of the improvements which form the subject matter oi this appli- Cation are to ,provide a photographic print washing apparatus that will be automatic in its operation, means being provided for shutting off the water sup ly when the water in e required level to retain the water in the tank for a predeterempty t 'mined 1period of time, to automatically e tank at the expiration of said time period and to renew the water supply when the tank, has become empty. Provision is also made for introducing the water into the tank in such a manner as to produce a desirable gyratory movement of the washing fluid, and to supply a suitable guard for the exit ports to prevent the prints from being carried along with the escaping water and thus choking the outlet, and to prevent contact of the negatives or prints with sediment which may collect in the-tank.

A further object of the invention is to provide a suitable indicating device for automatically registering the total number of times the water in the tank has been changed.

I' accomplish the, desired results by means of the ap aratus illustrated in the accompan g d i'awings which form a part of this app ication, the details of construction being disclosed in the following views Figure 1 is a top plan view of the entire aparatus with a portion of the false bottom Broken away; Fig. 2 is a front elevation, and Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 33 of ghape or dished with its upper surface sloping dwnwardly from the periphery to the center to secure proper drainage. Arranged peripherally within the tank and resting upon the bottom vis a conduit 7, rectangular in cross section and formed of the same material as the tank. An inlet or supply pipe 8 communicates with this conduit, and 1s furnished with an inlet valve 9, its upper end being provided with threads 10 for connec tion with a pipe (not shown) leading from any convenient source of water supply. The conduit 7 is provided u on opposite sides with inlet nozzles 11 whicii project at a slight angle with the side of the tank, thus directing the streams in such a manner as to cause a circular movement of the water within the tank. At the central de ressed point of the bottom is located an ori ce 12 which serves as an outlet for the tank and from this is led an outlet or waste pipe 13, which terminates u on the outside of-the tank in a siphon 14. T e 11 per end 15 of the siphon extends to a suitab e point below the upper margin of the tank so as to bring the water level to the required height, as indicated by the reference numeral 16, the lower end of the pi e terminating in a suitable discharge nozzlh 17.

The upper side of the conduit 7 constitutes a ledge upon which rests the margin of a removable circular disk 18 which thus forms a false bottom for the tank and is supplied with perforations 19. This'disk covers the entire bottom of the tank and serves as a guard to prevent the prints from being drawn with the current into the waste pipe 13 when the tank is being emptied, and keeps the prints from the sediment from the chemicals which will accumulate below said disk.

Upon the outside of the tank and arranged upon-opposite sides of the supply and waste pi es are two receptacles or float cups 20 which communicate with the interior of the main tank by orifices 21 located at about'the desired water level 16, so that the tank 5 will be approximately filled before the water will Within each float cupflow into said cups. 20 is arranged a float 22, which may be of any suitable material, such as cork, although I prefer to make hollow floats of sheet metal, and give them the requisite specific gravity by exhausting the air from the interior. Each float is provided with upwardly projecting arms 23 terminating at their ends in eyes 24 through which passes a wire or rod bent in the shapeof a ring 25 having a slightly greaterdiameter than the tank 5. The rear side of the ring or wire opposite to and the front portion the location of the siphon, is loosely supported by a bracket 26 attached to the tank of the wire lsbent at the points 27 to form radially extendin arm 28, the portion 29 connecting these en s being approximately strai tion of the ring with its racket 26 practically a hinge which llows the opposite side of said rin to move with the floats. 22 which rise and all in a manner hereinafter described. 1

The valve 101s furnished with operat-- in arm 30 to the'endof which is ivoted a liifls-rod 31, extending vertically t ough a clip 32, secured to the port-ion 29 of the'ringmember 25. The upper end of thislink rod is threaded and furnished with an adjusting thumb nut 33. It will thus be seen that the member 25 constitutes a ring-lever, operated by the movement of the floats 22 to control the valve 10, the adjustment being so made that when the said floats rise they will cause the valve 10 to close. Adjacent to the said ortion 29 of the ring-lever 25 is arranged an indicating device constructed as follows.

- Upon the front member of thesiphon 14,

smce this forms a convenient support, is attached a circular bracket plate 34, and. u on the face of this plate is pivotally mounted an indicating disk35, having a series of ratchet teeth 36 cut in its margin, and provided u on its face with graduatlons 37'correspon mg arm 41 terminating in loosely through with the said teeth. Upon theipivot 38 of the disk is mounted a pawl-arm 39 carrying a gravity pawl 40 for engagingthe teeth 36. Extendingv beyond the bracket plate 34 and attached to said pawl-arm is an operating an eye 42. Passin this eye is a lift-link or ro 43, having its uppler end formed into an eye 44, through whic passes the portion 29 of the said ring-lever 25. The lower end of said lift rod is-threaded and furnished with an ad'- justing thumb nut 45. When the rin lever 25 is raised by the action of the floats 51G nut 45 will engage the arm 41 and thepawl 40 will move the disk 35, the adjustment being such that the said disk will be moved but one tooth or step each time the saidlever 25 is elevated. A dog 46, ivoted on the bracket plate 34 prevents the 1sk from moving backward.

The float tanks or cups 20 are connected by'a suitable pipe 47, located within the washing tank 5, so that the water/in both cups'will always be at the same lev l. Another pipe or tube 48 connects one of the cups 20 with the descending leg of. the siphon 14. This pipe is controlled by a leaf-valve 49 {arranged in the cup 20 from which said and operated in the following Below the said cup is arranged a float chamber 50, which communicates with the main tank 5 through a pipe'51, and in this chamberis located a valve operating ht. The, connec-* from the cups 20 The pipe 8 having float 52. A steni consisting of a rod 53 projects upwardly through'the bottom of the float cup 20 which is her, and is suitably connected with an arm 54 attached to the outlet-valve 49 which is hinged at 55. As soon as suflicient water has entered the main tank, in the process of filling, to reach the level of the said float 52, the latter will close the leaf valve 49 and re tain it in closed position, so long as the waterin said tank 5 remains above the level of the float 52, and thus prevent esca e of water while the va ve remains closed. Whenever tank is drawn ofl until it is below the level of the float 52, the latter will descend and open the valve49, and the water in the cups 20 will'escape through the pipe 48 and allow the floats '22 to descend and depress the ringlever 25, which opens the supply valve 9.

The functions of the various parts having been explained in connection with the details of the'constructionthe operation of the machine as a whole will now be described been properly connected with a water mainor other convenient source of water supply, the washin tank 5 and cups 20 being empty and the f e bottom 18 in position on the ledge formed by the annular conduit 7, the weight of the floats 22 will be vsuflicient to 0 en the valve 9, and the water will flow t ough the'supply pipe 8 into the main or washing tank. 1 As-soon as the water has reach chamber 50and raise the float 52 to close the opening of the tube 48. The Water in the tank will continue-to rise until it reaches the,

orifices 21, through which it will pass to the cups 20. As these fill the floats 22 will rise and through the ring-lever 25 will operate the disk 35 one notch and close the supply valve 9. The mechanisms are relatively adjusted so that the water will fill the siphon and set it in operation at the same time that the valve 9 is closed. The action of the siphon will be to draw the water from the washing tank 5, but having. no effect upon the valve 9 until the water in said tank is below the level of the float 52. The latter will then descend, opening the leaf-valve 49 and allowin the water in the'cups 20 to escape throng the pipe 48, while the weight of the floats 22 will depress the lever 25 to openthe inlet or supply valve 9 and allow thewei ht of the operating arm'41 to carry the aw arm and pawl 40 back one notch to the initial position. opened the water will flow into the tank 5 and another cycle of similar automatic actions will be repeated.

It will be obvious that various changes may be made in the details of construction,

without departing from the spirit and $00 e of the invention, such, for instance, as t e I d the opening of the tube 51, it willflow therethrough into the directly over said chamthe water in the main The valve 9 being thus arrangementof a leaf-valve in each of the float cups, and I do not wish, therefore, to be restricted to the precise construction shown.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new, is

1 In a photographic print washer, a tank having an inlet, a valve controlling said inlet, a siphon forming an outlet for said tank, a float-cup communicating with the tank, an outlet for said cup, a valve controlling said outlet, means for automatically operating said outlet valve, a float in sald cup, and mechanism operatively connecting sald float with the inlet valve.

2. In a photographic print washer, a tank having an inlet, a valve controlling said inlet, a siphon forming an outlet for said tank, a float-cup communicating with the tank, an outlet for said cup, a valve controlling said outlet, means for automatically operating said outlet valve, said means'comprising a float chamber communicating with said tank, a float in said chamber, and connection between said floatv and the outlet valve, a float in said cup, and mechanism connecting the last mentioned float with the inlet valve.

3. In a photographic print washer, a tank having an inlet, a valve controlling said inlet, a siphon forming an outlet for said tank, a float-cu communicating with the tank,

' an outlet or said cup, a valve for said outlet,

a float chamber communicating with said tank, a float in said chamber, operative connection between said float and the outlet valve, a float in said cup, an operating lever, connection between the lever and said inlet valve, and an indicating device connected with said lever.

4. In a photographic print washer, a tank having an inlet pipe, a valve" controlling said inlet, a conduit arranged peripherally upon the bottom of said tank, inlet nozzles projecting at an angle with the conduit, a perforated false bottom supported on said conduit, a siphon forming an outlet for said tank, a float-cup communicating with the tank, an outlet for said cup, a valve controlling said outlet, means for automaticallyoperating said outlet valve, a float in said .cup, mechanism connecting the said float with the inlet valve.

5. In a photographic print washer, a tank having an inlet pi e, a valvecontrolling said inlet pipes, a s1p on forming an outlet for said tank, a float-cup communicating with said tank, an outlet-pi e for the float-cup, an outlet-valve contro ing the outlet-pipe, means for automatically o erating the outlet-valve, an indicator, a cat in said float cup, a ring-lever connected with said float and connection between the ring-lever and the inlet-valve and with said indicator.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

. WILBERT A. vAMON. Witnesses:

EARLE R. FORREST, O. V. HARDING. 

